Courtesans of the Fifth House
by Oparu
Summary: AU. Kathryn Janeway, in her third year at the Academy is dragged out for a night in a club by Deanna Troi, who just won't take no for an answer. There she meets Beverly Howard, the biology tutor Kathryn can't get out of her head.


Deanna Troi was impossible to refuse. Kathryn Janeway, third year cadet on the science track, hated her for that reason. She only envied her for all the others: like the fact that the second year student was beautiful, intelligent - not with mathematics, but with people, something Kathryn never understood properly. She was also some kind of foreign aristocrat who knew everyone on campus and all the diplomat's children and…she was nice.

It would have been different if Deanna was stuck up, or holier-than-thou, but no, she was nice. When she asked Kathryn to come with on a night off campus, though Kathryn hardly ever left campus and barely went out of the library or lab on the weekends, confronted with Deanna's huge black eyes, warm smile and genuine desire for her to come along, Kathryn folded. She gave in.

She had to borrow an outfit, a too short blue dress from her roommate's friend or that girl down the hall, she wasn't even sure. She thought it showed off far too much of her pale legs, but everyone else disagreed. Annabelle, her charming, southern accented security-track roommate, curled her hair and pulled it back. Kathryn usually plaited it and forgot about it but, even she had to admit it was pretty with a little effort put in. Not her, really, but very pretty all the same.

Of course, Deanna was gorgeous. That shade of dark red wouldn't suit everyone, but it set off her olive skin and her all too perfect hair. Kathryn didn't pay much attention to the other girls in her class. They were there to learn, not to look at the scenery, but as she approached the transporter padd, it occurred to her that Deanna would fall into everyone's definition of attractive.

Yet she couldn't hate her. Deanna smiled, waved and tossed her dark, impossibly perfect, curly hair back over her shoulder.

"You made it!" She reached for Kathryn's arm, squeezed her shoulder, then kissed her cheek. "And you look beautiful. I promised you'd find a dress, didn't I?"

"I did." Kathryn agreed with a slow smile. "It was a team effort."

"Those are the most fun, aren't they?" Deanna climbed up to the platform, holding Kathryn's arm tightly. "Thank you so much for coming. You'll love this. They have the most incredible music, and the cocktails are just- you'll see."

She tapped in the coordinates and beamed them into the middle of a caribbean night. The Betazoid Embassy was in Costa Rica, where the weather was more to their liking. A small community of Betazoids lived around it, their warm and welcoming culture fitting in with the lively Latin American one that persisted there.

"Who are we meeting?" Kathryn asked as they materialised in the hub of the lobby inside the opulent Betazoid embassy. Her heels clicked on the marble floor as she kept pace with Deanna. A few guards and after hours staff smiled and nodded. Everyone seemed to recognise Deanna and no one minded that she had a human along for the night.

"Friends. I think you know some of them. Some of our instructors turn up here, from time to time but they're all more fun out of the classroom."

Kathryn tried to imagine any of their instructors out of their sharp black uniforms and winced internally. One of them, her biology tutor, stuck in her mind brightly enough that she wondered if Deanna would feel the rush of fascination that accompanied thoughts of Beverly Howard. She was a lieutenant, freshly minted and on her way out to an assignment on a starship. For her teaching rotation, she taught biology and medicine to science students who would rather be looking at the stars and talking about physics.

She also had the longest, best formed legs Kathryn had ever seen, and she idolised those legs each time they walked past her lab station.

Deanna's smile quirked, and Kathryn cursed under her breath. She didn't know if Deanna knew she was thinking of Lieutenant Howard, but she had mentioned her once or twice and Deanna could probably match an emotion to a name.

"See, Captain Nechayev is a very good friend of my mother's, and she's involved with Doctor Pulaski, who's the head of medical sciences at the Academy and likes to take out her med tutors on the weekends." She laughed, which was as lovely as the brightness in her smile. If Deanna felt Kathryn's admiration, she took it as a compliment. "Small galaxy if you know the right clubs."

"Will your mother be-?"

Deanna frowned, shaking her head. "Not tonight, thankfully she's in Paris."

Kathryn had heard of Deanna's mother, from Deanna and some of the students who had met her. Ambassador Troi was legendary, even her parents said so, and seeing her out might have been fascinating. Another time.

Leading them through a brightly lit street, Deanna wound her arm tightly within Kathryn's. Soft music drifted out from a number of restaurants and bars lining the street and the air was warm and pleasantly humid. San Francisco was always damp, but here the air felt welcoming, and had hints of the jungle surrounding them. Kathryn took a deep breath, letting the unfamiliar scents calm her. She didn't have a reason to fear a crush. Beverly Howard wouldn't be here.

Deanna stopped their progress outside a door that led up to an open air bar on the third floor up. It looked like a treehouse, which was in sharp contrast from the classical beautiful embassy. The sign above the door read "The Four Deities' Caribbean Holiday".

Deanna looked up at it and grinned. "Betazoid humour." Her eyes softened and she looked through Kathryn, reading right into her soul. "I know you're thinking about him, the man who hurt you before you came to the Academy. I know you might not take the opinion of a second year counselling student, but..he's an idiot. No one worthwhile would ever stomp on your heart that way. They might find a new way, but it's worth the risk."

Kathryn was between Deanna and the wall and though she was slightly taller, she was still trapped. She didn't know Deanna well enough to be having this conversation. She didn't know anyone well enough to be having this conversation.

"You know, it is okay to look." Deanna smiled wickedly. "I obsess over people I find attractive. It's normal. On Betazed they hear you thinking about them and you start a relationship. Here, you have to transmit what you want a little more obviously. Come on, I'll get you a double chocolate martini and you can meet everyone."

Kathryn flushed and the heat rushed up from her chest and attacked her face. Empaths were entirely unfortunate friends but she liked having one. Sometimes she was short of friends. She tried to pretend it didn't bother her; she had work, but she liked the way Deanna kept smiling at her. She liked being out, listening to the music echo down the stairs as they walked up.

The top floor opened to the sky, with thick green trees towards the back, and beams crossing the ceiling space covered with lights. Kathryn didn't know what to call the decor. She didn't know what traditional Betazoid was, only the opulent, fancy, well-to-do Betazoid with mansions and immaculate gardens. This was laid back.

Lifting her feet one at a time, Deanna took off her shoes, a delicate pair of heels, and set them in a rack. Kathryn looked at her, curious and eyed her own feet. Barefoot in a bar, even a nice bar, was not a good idea.

Deanna gestured at the floor, which had appeared to be some dark wood, but was actually something more mossy. Maybe even alive.

"It's a genetically engineered moss similar to one on Betazed," Deanna explained about the floor. "It grows faster with the pressure of feet and absorbs spilled drinks. It fit with the eco-friendly theme when the remodeled. The owners are a little eccentric, but it feels great."

Trusting her guide was the ongoing theme so Kathryn went with it. She took off her shoes and followed Deanna past a table that appeared to be carved from a tree erupting from the floor.

Most of the chairs were similar, differing in colours and shapes of wood, and some of them still had leaves, so perhaps all of them were alive. It was odd, and she examined one, absolutely fascinated as Deanna went to get drinks and find the others they knew.

"Believe it or not, they're actually grown that way."

Kathryn knew the voice and turned, snapping to attention.

"Relax, Cadet, don't sprain anything or I'll have to stop being off duty and fix you." Kate Pulaski quipped with a very friendly smile.

"Commander, Doctor-" Kathryn was usually more eloquent, but, she was usually not barefoot in a weird Betazoid treehouse bar with Doctor Pulaski looking far too glamourous in an elegant green cocktail dress. Why did everyone but her have something to wear?

"Cadet, why don't you try calling me Kate for the evening? Everyone else will be using it and I'd like you to fit in."

Kathryn failed to respond so Pulaski made her request an order.

"Cadet, we leave our ranks at the door here with our shoes. You will follow protocol, Kathryn, no matter how much it grieves you." She finished with a smile that Kathryn feebly returned.

"Yes-" she bit off the 'doctor, she'd wanted to add and forced herself calm. She could handle one night out with her instructors. She'd be fine.

"Good girl." Kate beamed and turned Kathryn's attention back to the table. "Betazed has architectural botanists who convince a certain species of tree to grow into chairs, tables, railings: whatever they need. When the tree reaches its' final growth phase, it grows so slowly that it can be used for decades. Apparently the whole place is one big botany project, with an excellent selection of cocktails, just ask them to mix for a human, Betazoids like their drinks weak."

She swirled her drink for emphasis and pointed to the corner where Deanna was laughing with a few of the teaching assistants Kathryn didn't immediately recognise. Kathryn followed Kate Pulaski through the bar, winding through dark-eyed Betazoids who smiled at her to ease the tension she must have been radiating like a warp reactor.

One of the teaching assistants had an open backed green dress that exposed a beautiful length of her spine that made Kathryn's head swim. Her long red hair was down, dancing along bare shoulders. She turned as they approached, greeting Kate and turning her quick blue eyes to Kathryn.

"When Deanna said she'd brought you, I almost didn't believe her. I thought a tractor beam would be necessary to pull Cadet Janeway from her books."

Kathryn had a witty retort, at least, she would have if Beverly Howard hadn't been in possession of the most perfect set of cheekbones to appear through genetic variation on Earth in the last three decades.

iThink Kathryn, think. Don't just stare at her. She's not an empath. She doesn't know-/i

Foolish argument. Kathryn was blushing, again, and she could feel it in her face. She hated that uncontrolled display of emotion. She couldn't banish it, and it gave away so much. Deanna pressed a drink into her hand, rescuing her.

"You know Beverly, don't you Kathryn?"

"Of course she does," Beverly insisted. "She wrote the best lab report in her section last term. She had a Vulcan level of detail yet still fought for me for the two points I took off."

Kathryn bristled even as she stared up into Beverly's warm smile. "My use of 'this writer' instead of 'I' was appropriate to a scientific paper."

"A lab report is not a scientific paper, at least not according to the Vulcan Science Academy's definition of such in 2348. Your instructor told you to use 'I' because who else was doing the report?"

"My instructor-"

Kate Pulaski interrupted, beaming with the same kind of wicked grin Kathryn's mother had. "Your instructor," she finished, "is a cantankerous old bat who likes things done the way she likes things done, which includes your reports. She also threatens to beat her assistants if they don't as she says."

Kathryn buried her retort in her drink, which was a frothy chocolate concoction that tasted more like liquid death-by-chocolate than anything alcoholic. She took a gulp and Beverly laughed.

"We'll stop picking on you, Kathryn. You have guts. I respect that. Most of my students don't bother to come argue semantics in my office hours." Beverly lifted her glass and all of Kathryn's resentment faded with it. "Don't down the double chocolate martini too quickly, it's strong if you're not used to it."

"Are you saying I can't hold my liquor?"

Beverly's eyebrows rose in amusement. "Competitive, aren't you?"

"Yes."

Beverly dropped an arm around her shoulders and guided her to the table. "Are you sure you don't want to try command track? Alynna was just telling us how terribly competitive her fellow captains are."

Across the table, Captain Alynna Nechayev, who was her father's contemporary, not hers, pushed a shot glass of something blue towards Kathryn in welcome. The three time decorated, medal of honour winning captain was a legend of the Cardassian conflict, and here she was, drinking shots with Deanna Troi, as if they were old friends. None of Kathryn's father's friends came out on weekends, or ever really talked to her. This was a new world.

"Starfleet Captains are a squabbling rabble of school yard bullies trying to pretend they've changed, domineering know-it-alls and control freaks. The only reason anyone looks up to them is because Admirals are worse." She lifted her glass and winked at Kathryn. "Welcome."

"Drink it fast." Pulaski warned her. "It stings."

Kathryn watched as Nechayev tilted her glass back to her lips and followed suit. Stinging was an understatement. Whatever the blue liquid was tingled like a plasma shock to her sinuses. Coughing, Kathryn blinked as her eyes watered.

"Takes some getting used to."

"What is it?"

Nechayev shrugged. "Illegal."

"Consider yourself hazed." Beverly explained, patting Kathryn's shoulder. "I nearly spat mine out, so you did great."

"Hazed into what?" Kathryn asked, finding her voice though her tongue felt like it belonged to someone else.

"The high society of the courtesans of the Fifth House." Nechayev explained while Deanna rolled her eyes.

"In an entirely non-sexual sense," Deanna promised, wincing. "My mother and our dear captain started it as a joke, years ago. "

"Watch the stress on 'years', or I'll start talking about someone's babyhood."

Deanna sipped her drink primly for a moment. "I was a pretty easy baby after Kestra."

"Her sister," Beverly explained for Kathryn.

Kathryn watched everyone smile and turned to Deanna for an explanation.

"Kesta is my older sister. She's married, lives on Betazed, works for the Federation government and has two kids. Does everything right-"

"While our little rebel here gets top marks at the Academy." Nechayev teased with a hint of pride in her voice. "Which is far beneath someone of her station."

The slow roll of Deanna's black eyes suggested she'd heard that argument before. "Do you have siblings, Kathryn?"

Nodding, Kathryn realised whatever she'd been drinking had gone to her head. It was pleasantly light, as if now disconnected from her body. "A sister," she replied finally.

Pulaski pushed another glass of blue substance over waited for Kathryn to finish. Surrounded by welcoming smiles, Kathryn drank another shot, this time with Beverly who knocked hers back without wincing or gasping, while Kathryn gagged a little.

"She's younger. I'm the good daughter, I guess."

"Too good." Deanna teased.

Nechayev smirked at her. "Not everyone can take after your mother."

"My mother may be many things, and terrify many people, but she does find some of the best ways to have a good time." Deanna's admiration lit her face and she sat up straighter, almost royal in her posture. "Kathryn came out tonight, that's progress, isn't it?"

Deanna's choice of words made Nechayev and Pulaski share a grin and Beverly's eyes rolled over Kathryn in a way that was far from educational. Unless, it was educational in a non-traditional sense; Kathryn had to fight not to blush again.

"Do you dance?" Beverly asked, rescuing Kathryn from further verbal peril. With the answer barely out of her mouth, Kathryn was dragged off to the middle of a group of steadily swaying Betazoids. The way most of the couples moved in unison without speaking at all, an impossibility with the music pulsing around them, reminded her that most everyone here could read each other's thoughts.

Kathryn didn't have that luxury, and the music precluded talking. Beverly took her hands, placed them firmly on her lower back and lead her into the rhythm. It wasn't that Kathryn couldn't dance; she could, she even enjoyed it from time to time. She just didn't dance with ridiculously attractive biology tutors who knew how to make music a story written on the body. Beverly's perfume faded and Kathryn was more aware of the faint and familiar smell of sweat.

Sweat could be stale, or old, or cloying, but this was the good sweat, the sweat that spoke of things other than the dance floor and that faded into the sheets. Beverly met her eyes, weaving herself around Kathryn's body and holding her close. There was no spare silence for speech, just the steady pressure of flesh against her own. Beverly led, whirling Kathryn into something she hadn't done, well, ever.

No one she had ever dated had moved like this, or expected her to follow along, yet she was here: hands on Beverly's back, then her thigh, her stomach, her arms: the firmness of her muscle fascinated her. Beverly was slender, but incredibly toned: built like a goddess and wound taut from dancing.

The breathless eternity of being against Beverly's flesh ended when the band took a break. Kathryn didn't know the music, and she was sure she couldn't have recalled what any of it was like, but, she desperately wanted it back.

"The next band isn't as good." Beverly explained, shaking her hair back and leading Kathryn to the table again. Several more glasses littered the table, Deanna was deep in conversation with a young man with dark hair and an almost familiar smile.

Beverly tilted her head towards Pulaski, who nearly had Nechayev, iCaptain Nechayev/i, in her lap.

"Riker," Nechayev answered the unasked question. "She likes him."

Kathryn knew a Riker. Will Riker, who was the hot shot pilot who was driving her flying instructor crazy. He was attractive, charming, intelligent, and just about as maddening to everyone who fancied men as Deanna was to her own admirers. For some bizarre reason, Kathryn had even been set up a blind date with him once, but they'd ended up talking instead about dominating fathers and trying to live up to difficult expectations instead of flirting and became friends.

Kathryn wasn't ready to date. Not someone like Will, who had too bright of a smile. He needed someone else bright, someone like Deanna, who stole light from a room when she left.

Perhaps Kathryn only had enough energy for one crush, and that was Beverly Howard, who felt like plasma fire against her skin and had been entirely out of reach. Now she had a hand draped on Kathryn's back, almost possessively.

Downing her water too quickly, Kathryn spilled some down her chin. Beverly watched, smiling then leaned close to brush it away.

"Careful now, don't want to get anything on your dress."

Kathryn looked down, suddenly concerned. It wasn't hers, after all, and she-

Was being kissed.

It took a moment for the thought to compute, because she hadn't been kissed in a very long time. Years to be fair and she wasn't sure she really wanted to kiss anyone. Kissing was dangerous because her heart so often went with her mouth and away from her brain. She couldn't have that, yet she melted into the kiss, surrendering to Beverly's searching mouth and letting herself be found.

She didn't know what to say, even when her lips were free for speech. Someone gave her a drink and she gulped it while Beverly kissed her cheek.

"Come with me."

Was it rude? Did she care if it was? Was it wrong to abandon her hosts? Everyone else seemed involved enough in pleasurable distractions not to notice if Kathryn went with Beverly, but, she didn't just run off with women she'd just met.

Technically, she'd known Beverly all term, but there was a difference between knowing and wrapping her arms around someone's neck.

She only wanted the latter, and for once Kathryn let logic sit in her notebook. She nodded to Beverly, grabbed her hand and allowed herself to be led back to her shoes, which her fingers were too clumsy to put on. Beverly's danced across her ankle, then clipped the tiny buckles in place.

"You have great legs."

"I don't," Kathryn insisted, surprised. "I don't at all. They're-"

"Lovely," Beverly finished.

Though she'd been taught to question; to always be a sceptic, Kathryn took that at face value. She didn't pay much attention to her own appearance, but Beverly she believed.

Beverly caught her again, looking her in the eye this time as she turned the space between them into a kiss that stole Kathryn's breath. She didn't fall for people, not like this, and yet, she melted into Beverly's arms, falling against the wall of the club, surrounded by streetlights and fellow revellers on their way home.

"There's a hotel down the street."

"Yes."

Their shoes clattered softly on the street. Scattered music drifted, following them in a patchwork soundtrack. Beverly wound her arm around Kathryn's waist and held her close, almost protectively. She knew where the hotel was, and found it while Kathryn was still trying to remember her way back to the transport hub. They could have beamed back, Beverly had an apartment, but there was something special about a stolen night in a hotel in paradise.

Beverly paid with her credits, Kathryn's account was a student one and she didn't want to admit she was that young. In Beverly's eyes she was a woman, something she rarely felt like in class. After the requisite fumbling with the key, because the hotel was antique enough to have keys, real metal keys. Yes, they were connected to the computer system and programmed into the security system, but they had real keys.

Somehow, holding the metal in her hand while Beverly slid her fingers up Kathryn's thigh only added to the surreal nature of the experience. The room was small, but the bed was welcoming with fat pillows and a bright brass headboard. The light was soft, like the air and the feel of Beverly's cheek against her own. Beverly took her time kissing her, then worked her way down Kathryn's neck.

"Can't hurt the dress," Beverly mused, finding the zipper beneath Kathryn's arm. "You should take it off."

Beverly started to slip the zipper down, then Kathryn shook her head, taking over.

"I can do it."

Beverly smirked, sitting on the edge of the bed, legs open as if daring Kathryn to look and see what colour panties she wore. "Go ahead."

It was the same tone she used in lab: the teacher voice. Kathryn couldn't decide to glare or giggle.

"Take it off, Cadet."

Kathryn obeyed, letting the zipper slide down along the curve of her waist. Her dress fell away from her left shoulder, which had been bare, and began to gap, leaving her hip and the soft green of her panties naked to the air.

"Slide it off your shoulder, slowly."

The fabric clung to Kathryn's slightly damp skin, and she watched Beverly's lips curl in appreciation as she exposed her shoulder. Only Kathryn's arm was protecting her breasts, and when she let the dress fall, Beverly would be able to see them. She wasn't embarrassed, not really, but she wanted permission before she was exposed.

"Let your dress fall to your ankles, then step out of it."

Beverly leaned forward, exposing much more of her cleavage as she got a better view of Kathryn's. Kathryn watched her, memorising the shadows of her neck. Beverly was classically, stunningly beautiful, what did she see in her?

Kathryn stepped out carefully, holding her breasts with her arms crossed over her chest. She was close enough that Beverly could have reached out and moved her arms, but Beverly kept her hands on the bed.

"Take off my shoes." Beverly's triumphant grin was as wicked as the shiver than ran down Kathryn's spine. Beverly's hoes had little ties that needed two hands. She extended one leg, holding it perfectly still with her ankle level with Kathryn's stomach.

Kathryn turned, releasing her breasts to Beverly' hungry gaze as she turned her slightly clumsy fingers to the ties. She let her hand wander up Beverly's calf, which earned her a playful brush of toes against her breast.

"Wicked girl."

Beverly extended her other leg, leaning back so that her body formed a perfect arch as she studied the ceiling.

"If you're so interested in my leg, follow it up."

Kathryn nearly dropped the foot in her hands. Did she know how to do this? She knew one side from experience but she hadn't been, well, here, with a woman who knew what she was doing much better than she did.

Her want overran her fear, and Kathryn traced the pale skin of Beverly's leg up, past her knee and along the smooth curve of her inner thigh. Those panties Kathryn had been wondering about were a deep, dark purple, and there were tiny ruffles along the hip. They were absolutely not what she'd expected, and Kathryn laughed.

"Good underwear are confidence building." Beverly explained, bringing her head back down as her bare legs wrapped around Kathryn. "You should try lace, with your skin tone, you'll look positively Victorian."

Kathryn shook her head; Beverly tugged her closer and a hand cupped Kathryn's breast.

"You're beautiful."

Kathryn let her hands slip up Beverly's thighs, tugging her panties down with permission. She wanted to see her, to touch her and collect the sensations of all of her body.

Beverly let her ease her panties down a few centimetres, then took one of Kathryn's nipples into her mouth and sucked, drawing a gasp and destroying Kathryn's concentration. She moved to the other, letting her fingers tease the wet nipple she'd just left. Kathryn leaned into her touch, breathing hard.

When Beverly rose, she left the bed. "Lie down so I can take off your shoes."

Obeying sent a little shiver through her, and Kathryn stared up at the patterned ceiling while Beverly's cool fingers danced over her ankle, then move to the other. Lifting Kathryn's feet to the bed, Beverly rose between her legs. She removed her own panties from beneath her dress, exposing nothing of the skin beneath. She held them up, letting Kathryn see the ruffles before she dropped them to the floor as unimportant.

Still in her dress, Beverly crawled over Kathryn, poised above her. "When I've had you, you can explore like the good little scientist you are."

Kathryn didn't even want to protest. Being both captive and captivated was exactly what she wanted, even though she never could have put words to it. Beverly was beyond words now, and played her games with Kathryn's flesh. She teased one breast with gentle fingers and nibbled the other. Her hair trailed along Kathryn's stomach, following her mouth as she worked her way down.

"Lift your hips."

Kathryn's panties slid from her legs, exposing the aching wetness of her to Beverly's approving eyes.

She'd never been this desperate to be had by Cheb. They'd had sex often enough to be pretty good, but it was nothing like this. He didn't toy with control, he had to have it. He was afraid.

Beverly was calm, even serene as she flicked her fingertip lazily up. One of Beverly's hands massaged Kathryn's thigh, dancing along as distraction just long enough for Beverly to pull back her hair behind her shoulder. She kissed down from Kathryn's knee, licking a trail down, then skipping across to taste the other thigh. She teased, only rewarding Kathryn with the faintest touches. Distracted by that, Kathryn didn't notice Beverly's head drop, and had no idea that her mouth was about to settle on her needy clit before the heat of her tongue sent Kathryn's head reeling. What happened then began to blur. Beverly's fingers worked their way in, curling up and pressing in as Beverly's tongue and lips pushed Kathryn up to dizzying heights.

Her hands fluttered, then she finally had to dig them into the bed. She fought for breath and finally panted ragged between her cries of pleasure. She bucked her hips up, twisting them closer. Heat crawled up her belly, setting her nerves to flame like the fire lizards she'd seen on Omicron Four. It washed over her, swallowing her once. Beverly held her down, keeping her in place when she tried to writhe free. When the heat came a second time, Kathryn was consumed by it, rising towards the ceiling before she collapsed, trembling to the bed.

Beverly kissed her stomach, then her forehead, stroking damp hair from Kathryn's face. "Thank you."

Laughing though breathless, Kathryn forced herself up on her elbows. "What?"

"Thank you for letting me have you. I haven't enjoyed anything quite that much in a long time." Beverly slipped from the bed, slipping out of her dress before she crawled back to Kathryn, entirely and gloriously naked. Kathryn sat up, still reeling but back in control of herself. Even her teeth still tingled deliciously, but she had a mission.

Beverly's breasts were small, each fitting neatly into Kathryn's hands, and she ran her thumb over the pink nipples until they stood erect. They were different than her own, in more than just the size. They were soft, easily malleable and she looked to Beverly, curious.

"I carried a child for friends of mine. Wesley's eight now and he lives with his fathers on the _Horatio_. He left lines on my stomach and completely changed my breasts, and he completed their family."

Kathryn laid her back, finding the little silverly lines on her stomach left behind from pregnancy years ago. "Do you see him much?"

"Occasionally, when they're in town. He knows I'm his mother and he makes me cards and holosculptures on my birthday. He's incredibly smart for his age. Jack and Jean-Luc are extremely proud of him. He'll probably be in the Academy by fifteen."

Kathryn paused over her, resting her hands on Beverly's flat stomach while she tried to comprehend the selfless gift Beverly had so generously given. She knew a few gay couples, most too young to have children, but some of her parents knew couples with children, but she'd never met anyone who had been involved in the process.

"That's wonderful."

Beverly smirked up at her. "Thanks."

"Really. I-"

Sitting up, Beverly kissed her. "Thank you."

Kathryn's hands slid down Beverly's stomach and one nestled between her legs. "I might not-"

"Empirical research, Kathryn. Nothing like it." Beverly settled on the pillows, a trusting smile on her face. "You'll figure it out."

Imitating Beverly's actions, Kathryn kissed her way down her stomach, then parted her legs. Lowering her tongue to Beverly's flesh filled her with a sense of power that exploded with Beverly's sigh of pleasure.

Licking gently, then stiffening her tongue for more pressure, Kathryn listened to the changes in Beverly's breath and found a rhythm that matched the subtle shifts of Beverly's hips. One of Beverly's hands caught her shoulder, squeezing when she licked harder, even digging her fingers in hard when Kathryn realised she could pull the flesh just a little ways into her mouth when she sucked. Remembering the rush of pleasure at being penetrated by Beverly's strong fingers, Kathryn slipped her index finger into the wet heat. Moving her hand in time with her mouth turned the gasps Beverly held in the back of her throat to real moans.

Kathryn listened, waiting for her cries to build. She relished the power, wrapping her thoughts in the idea that she was the cause of so much pleasure. Kathryn held her even when Beverly tried to pull away. She stretched the moment of orgasm until Beverly snapped her hips sharply down.

The satiated look of being utterly spent on Beverly's face was Kathryn's reward. Crawling up and into Beverly's arms, she rested her head on Beverly's chest while her breathing slowed.

"I couldn't have imagined this." Kathryn broke the silence without looking up. "I've had this fascination, this silly crush on you-"

"It wasn't silly."

"I felt like a teenager."

"No less than I did."

"You?" Kathryn sat up, surprised. "You're so-"

"Superhumanly poised?"

"Yes."

"It's an act."

"You're a talented actress."

"Thank you."

Kathryn rolled to her back, still snuggled against Beverly. "I mean it."

"You mean everything you say, it's part of your charm."

"I have charm?"

"To spare." Beverly wriggled free and dragged them both beneath the blankets. "I'll tell you all about it over breakfast in bed."

Considering what they'd just done to the bed, Kathryn giggled, picturing breakfast scattered like their clothing.

Beverly smirked, then pulled her in for a kiss. "A late breakfast, after I've fed your other needs. Of course, if you agree?"

Finding the promise in Beverly's eyes, Kathryn nodded and hid her own before they betrayed her. "I agree."

"Good."


End file.
